Finding Family

Faye: Evalynn Arrives

"Faye trust me, its tidy in here. Just sit down." Mick moaned as I paced round the room armed with a duster.
"But I'm too excited to stay still. Its a big day for me, you know that." I said to him.
"Just chill out and watch Friends or something equally trashy." He laughed.
"God why did you have to take the day off work?" I asked him.
He sighed, patting the sofa next to him. "I didn't, I got the whole week off. And because I want to spend time with our family together, is that so bad?"
"I mean today'll be boring for you. She'll probably be tired from all the travelling and just want to sleep. A bit like me after being away." I replied.
"Faye, we're a family. And whether she's tired from travelling or not she's a part of that family, so we deserve to all spend time together, because like you said yesterday - god knows what kind of life she has at the minute." Mick told me.
He'd accepted her as part of his family while hardly knowing her, and I was immensely grateful for that. It meant that I could be happy in the knowledge that everyone got on at least.
I sighed, feigning defeat and sat down next to him. I planned to sit for just long enough to hit him playfully with the duster then stand back up again. It didn't quite work out, I got my hit in but didn't get chance to get away, because he retaliated by tickling me. I started tickling him, and it ended up with us both lying on the sofa laughing. For a few moments after the hysterics dissolved I managed to lie on the sofa, safe with his arms around me, staring at the ceiling blankly as a hundred thoughts crossed my mind, there were so many I couldn't even begin to list all of them. Most of them involved Evalynn and the people who I wanted to meet her. What if some of them thought I was stupid for bringing her back into my life now of all times?

Then my moment of relative calm was distracted by Benjamin turning up and asking me to help him put on his pirate dressing up costume. I sighed. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if Mick hadn't been sat right next to me.
"Of course I can baby." I said to him as I got off the sofa. I lifted him up and carried him back to the little play den we'd made for him.
"You really happy." He said to me.
I smiled, setting him down on the floor. "Do you think so? Well Benjamin you know why that is I think."
He thought for a moment. "Is it because Evvy?"
Nodding I helped him put on the pirate top. "Yeah, it's because Evvy's coming here, and you've got to be nice to her okay?" I said.
He nodded as I put his pirate hat on his head. "I will be. I will. I will! I super pirate promise." He said.
I smiled at his enthusiasm and kissed his forehead. "Good boy." I looked round the room and frowned as I saw the blue bunny he took with him everywhere. I'd washed it three days ago and it was already messy again. I picked it up and sighed, it was also all sticky.
"What did you do to Blue Ben?" I asked him.
He bit the inside of his lip and pulled the best innocent face he could. "Nothing?"
I smiled a little at how cute he was. "Oh well. Come on then my little pirate what should we do?"
He shrugged and I smiled at him, picking up a fairy wand (that had been mine when I was little) from the floor. He picked up a foam sword with a laugh. It was a favourite game of ours, the magical pirate and the fairy.

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"Freeze or feel the wrath of the tickle fairy!" I called to Benjamin.
He carried on trying to hit me with the foam sword and I tried not to laugh.
"Well then young Captain you leave me no choice." I said, slipping the fairy wand into my back pocket and grabbing him and pulling him closer with one arm, tickling his belly with the other. He squealed and tried to squirm out of my grip and I laughed.
"No! I be good!" Benjamin said between giggles.
I smiled. "Do you promise Captain Smith?"
He nodded and I sighed letting him go. Just as I drew my wand back out of my pocket there was a knock at the door. Unwilling to be caught acting quite that much like a toddler, I shoved the wand back into the pocket.
"Is it Evvy?" He asked me, dropping his sword.
"Maybe" I replied, lifting him up. "Shall we go see?"
"Yeah." He said, clapping excitedly.
"Faye are you going to get the door or should I?" Mick called from the study.
"I'm going." I replied as I headed to the door.